A New Beginning for the Last Son of Krypton

*Cover for* ***Absolute Superman #15*** (published January 7th, 2026). Written by Jason Aaron, art by Juan Ferreya
Cover Art by Rafa Sandoval and Ulises Arreola

The Absolute Universe is, by design, a universe where despair and sorrow are the constant norm, whereas hope and joy are rare and fleeting. Take, for instance, the heroes of the primary DC Universe. While they have experienced loss and defeat time and time again, they are nevertheless bolstered by their triumphs. These victories far outweigh their tragedies and reassure them that the moral arc of the universe is long but ultimately bends toward justice.

Conversely, the heroes of the Absolute Universe, even with all their power and will, wage a war against a broken world. This world actively bends toward evil due to the nature of its origin. It is seemingly a never-ending battle. But if there is one person best suited to take up this fight, it is Kal-El of Krypton, Clark Kent of Kansas, and the Superman of Earth.

Whereas the previous issue wrapped up the title’s first major storyline, issue #15 of Absolute Superman by Jason Aaron kickstarts a brand new story arc and promises to soar to even greater heights than before, which is no small feat. In this article, I’ll go into the issue at length and give my thoughts and review. Let’s fly.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Absolute Superman #15

Welcome Home, Smallville

Even in a completely altered universe, he remains a farm boy.

As with most Superman stories, everything eventually goes back to Smallville, even if it is only for a fleeting moment. That is where we start this issue, following Kal-El on the Kent farm. It has been weeks since the battle of Smallville, in which Lazarus, led by Ra’s al Ghul and backed by the Peacemakers, invaded the resilient Kansas town. This was done in an effort to bring in Superman and force him to swear allegiance and loyalty to Ra’s as the Son of the Demon. Smallville has started to rebuild, regaining a sense of normalcy with Lazarus and the news crews finally gone.

It is interesting to see Kal-El in this quiet moment resemble his mainstream counterpart, tending to the farm with his bare hands. However, the quiet does not last very long. Thanks to his enhanced senses, specifically his hearing, Kal-El hears the screams of someone in need. Consequently, he does what his parents would have done. He takes action.

I love how normal this all is for Smallville.

As Superman, clad in his now bright blue costume inspired by Martha as we saw last issue, soars toward the source of the distress, we see him fly past the local diner. The patrons inside seem altogether unbothered by the burst of red, blue, and yellow. The fact that everyone in Smallville knows him as Clark Kent and accepts him and his heroics as just a facet of their daily lives gives the whole scene a sense of charm that is infectious.

Following Superman, we see him braced against a cracked dam. His sunstone cape is splayed across the splintering cracks like a crimson spiderweb as he prevents a would-be catastrophe. As he does this, we get a rapid barrage of various crises around the world that Superman is hearing thanks to his enhanced senses. These events range from environmental disasters to toxic vitriol being spewed by people. However, one instance in particular draws the attention of Superman.

Superman with the natural 20 Intimidation check.

A certain Winslow Schott is soon confronted by the Man of Steel as the latter hears about the former having yet another one of his factories go up in smoke. If that name sounds familiar to you, it should. It is the real name of Toyman, a classic Superman villain whom we are seeing reinterpreted in the Absolute Universe. Schott is very much dismayed as he is surrounded by melted toys and collectibles thanks to the heat vision of Superman. The Last Son of Krypton strongly admonishes Schott for his billionaire status being obtained at the expense of children working sixteen-hour shifts in his factories. These children are poisoning themselves in horrific conditions as Schott profits on the toys they make, which sell for more than what they are paid in a week.

Having only been hit with a fine and a slap on the wrist following the last factory fire, in which people literally died, Superman has had enough. He tells Schott as much, emphatically stating that this is the last slap on the wrist. Schott asks him what he is, to which Superman powerfully tells him to ask Lazarus Corporation what he is. In a bold indictment, he tells Schott to tell his equally wealthy and powerful friends that the days of being untouchable are over. More importantly, he says that he will be watching.

Retribution

Sadly no signs of the bottled city of Kandor (for now).

The narrative moves on to the Nevada desert as Superman attempts to pick up the trail for Brainiac, who is the loose end dangling from Lazarus. It has been weeks, but Superman can still pick up the smell of the deranged former minion of Ra’s al Ghul, which is the stench of death and rotting madness. At this point, Kal-El laments that he was unable to save any of the miniaturized cities Brainiac had imprisoned in the laboratory. Despite his thorough searching, there was nothing in the lab that contained anything from Krypton.

We see the still raw grief of Kal-El over the loss of Sol, which was the program that nurtured and cared for him following the destruction of Krypton. He expresses this pain as he burns away the laboratory of Brainiac. A very vulnerable Kal-El expresses doubt that he can keep doing this, especially without Sol, as he stands in the midst of the cleansing flames surrounding him.

Honestly, reinterpreting Ra’s as a Superman villain really works wonders in this continuity.

In Orangi Town, Pakistan, we catch up with the greatest foe of Superman to date. The currently imprisoned Ra’s al Ghul sneers behind bars as Superman visits him. Ra’s reveals that he has been barred from accessing the longevity provided by the Lazarus Pits and assumes that Superman is there to gloat over his victory. Superman responds that he is neither there to gloat nor indulge the threats from the former owner of Lazarus Corporation.

He is there, remarkably, to remind Ra’s of what he initially set out to save those many centuries ago when he discovered the world was headed toward collapse. Superman produces a collection of poems, prayers, and mantras written by the children of the countless victims of Ra’s. These victims include workers who perished in his mines or those he had beaten to death by the Peacemakers. Ra’s laughs heartily, mocking Superman and dismissing his vain efforts at rehabilitation as pathetic.

The narrative shifts gears to Metropolis as Lois Lane, embracing her journalistic leanings, questions Superman over his recent outing in the Amazon. In that event, our titular hero literally inhaled a massive raging wildfire only to expel it in the form of a controlled burn in the Flint Hills of Kansas. It is amusing to see the incredulous reaction of Lois to this news, and even more so given that Kal-El was not even sure if he could perform the feat in the first place.

As Kal-El expresses that he has no idea what he is doing out there, Lois asks if their discussion is on the record, meaning she can write about this. Kal-El explains that he would rather she did not. He does not feel comfortable being, in the words of Lois, someone who could inspire billions. The intrepid reporter asks Kal-El if he would like to grab a beer with her sometime. This invitation winds up putting the hero on the spot. He is seemingly only spared from giving her a definitive answer by another crisis pulling him away, this time toward Peoria.

In the Name of the Sun’s Divine Light

The next time we see Kal-El, or rather Clark, he is back in Smallville. He is joined by Lana Lang on the Kent farm as Lana congratulates him on all the work he has done on the property so far. She notes how he legally owns the residence given how fast Lazarus Corporation divested itself of its Smallville holdings. We also see how the stress of constantly hearing people in need, due to his super-hearing, is affecting him.

Lana, interestingly enough, also expresses interest in spending some time with Clark. Like Lois before her, she does not get a solid answer one way or the other before Clark quickly suits up and gets back to work to address another person in need. Lana takes his sudden departure in stride as she notes that he looks much better in his new blue suit.

The once mighty Ra’s al Ghul rages at Superman from behind bars.

Returning to the imprisoned Ra’s, we find that weeks have passed. Superman regularly visits him and reads the various writings of the children whom the tyrant had orphaned. Already, Ra’s looks diminished due to the lack of access to the Lazarus Pits. We also discover that Ra’s is no longer laughing at Superman, but he is still very much threatening the lives of the children of his victims. He clearly wants to destroy the book containing those writings, which Superman refuses to let him near.

We see several scenes of Superman trying to be everywhere at once, which even he cannot do. The weight of being the savior of the world starts to wear him down as he recalls the various tragedies he cannot prevent even with all his power and speed. One such tragic incident involves Superman spending time with a child with cancer in her last moments so that she does not die alone. All the while, he continues to read to Ra’s. The venomous words from the tyrant slowly vanish as his age finally catches up to him.

Superman grapples with the idea of whether or not he is making a difference. Despite the anguish of constantly being dialed in to the cries of those suffering, and the fact that he may only be slowly killing himself just to give the people of Earth more time, he nevertheless remains committed to them. He acknowledges and embraces that he is Kal-El of Krypton, Clark Kent of Kansas, and Superman of Earth all at once. He also, perhaps even more importantly, reconciles the fact that despite the anguished cries he is constantly hearing, that noise represents life. By hearing it, he knows that we are alive, and if we are alive, we have hope. The next and final time we see Ra’s, he looks ancient and decrepit. This time, however, he repeats the mantra, "In the name of the sun’s divine light." The hatred has seemingly been driven from his body and soul.

Absolute Hawkman swoops down to confront Superman!

As Superman takes to the sky to attempt to handle the growing, deafening screams across the planet, he is met by none other than Hawkman. If you read Absolute Evil #1 last year, you know which side he is on, and it is not the side of Superman.

Finally, wrapping up our issue, we see the still-at-large Brainiac nonchalantly walking down the roads somewhere in rural Missouri. He is being hailed by Talia al Ghul, who demands that he return to the Lazarus fold. She orders him to aid her in saving what is salvageable of Lazarus Corporation as well as helping her find a way to rescue her imprisoned father. Brainiac simply turns her down and offers his resignation. He literally hangs up on her after informing her that he is pursuing other avenues. We finally come to the end as Brainiac approaches a humble home. The mailbox he is walking past reads "Luthor."

Kal-El of Krypton, Clark Kent of Kansas, Superman of Earth

Some things remain fundamentally true about the character. This is one of them.

If there were any doubts that Jason Aaron could sustain and maintain the momentum following the conclusion of the first major arc, we can dispel those pretty confidently. In the biggest narrative step forward yet, Absolute Superman leans into the very name that he ironically is not fond of. Between halting countless natural disasters, admonishing a wealthy billionaire, and ensuring a dying child does not spend their final moments alone, Kal-El of Krypton is Superman. These wonderful moments can easily be pictured in mainstream continuity, and they literally have happened before in said continuity. But it is nevertheless wonderful to see Absolute Superman stand for the same things that traditionally are associated with the character.

And yet, there is that sense of anguish and grief that is not typically associated with the character that winds up making this iteration stand out. Even after saving Smallville from Ra’s al Ghul and the growing list of good deeds and acts of heroism, Kal-El is not only struggling with his own sense of loss, namely the loss of Sol and Martha Kent, but he now is experiencing and hearing the broken state of the world as it stands. He cannot be everywhere at once, and hearing the countless cries of the innocent has taken a toll on him. One line in particular struck me as especially impactful: "Feels obscene to listen. Feels more obscene not to."

Speaking of Ra’s, the interaction between the two is something I never could have predicted. I do not believe redemption is quite the right word, but rather absolution. Deprived of the rejuvenating Lazarus Pits, Ra’s has no choice but to listen to Superman read the accounts of the children he and his company have orphaned. Over the weeks, his rage subsides as his age catches up to him, with the centuries of his prolonged life finally taking hold. We see him begin to repeat the mantra the Pakistani children end their poems and prayers with: "In the name of the sun’s divine light, may you know peace." It is powerful to see this man, who once physically dwarfed Superman himself, reduced to a shell of himself as he is faced with the truth. Despite his evil, he will die alone, and the survivors of those he had victimized have the grace to wish him the peace their parents were denied in life. We do not see these children on panel, but in this comic, they are the strongest people present bar none.

Beyond Superman grappling with his new place in the world, complete with the new blue costume inspired by his adopted mother, we also see a new dynamic involving the relationship between Clark and the characters of Lois Lane and Lana Lang. Both of them expressed interest in having a beer or getting dinner with the titular hero. However, the pressure of trying to save a world that is inherently broken causes him to leave both women hanging. It is hard to say which of them, if either, Superman will eventually grow closer to in this universe. This is an interesting approach that feels natural to the characters as they are presented, but it functions in a unique way that services the story. We do not often see both Lois and Lana vying for the attention of Superman at the same time.

Of course, the implications at the end of the issue are very much worth discussing and give us an idea of where the title is heading next in a post-Ra’s al Ghul world. Obviously, a showdown between Superman and Hawkman is imminent. This is especially true given how the latter is essentially an assassin responsible for handling problems that threaten the powers that be in the world. As we saw in Absolute Evil #1, these threats include Ra’s al Ghul, Veronica Cale, and the Joker. That issue also saw the tragic death of Oliver Queen.

As far as long-term plots go, a world where Brainiac and Luthor meet and join forces is never a good one for Superman. However, the Absolute Universe may decide to throw us a curveball. We have not really seen what this version of Luthor is like as a person, only that he exists. Even so, we do know that Brainiac is quite literally and dangerously insane. Regardless of why he is visiting Luthor, it cannot be for anything good.

Juan Ferreyra balances the quiet and more intimate character moments with the larger-than-life displays of superheroic might perfectly. Every character presented here is done justice in the way they emote for the reader, but Superman himself is rendered beautifully in the full gamut of emotions witnessed here. His awkward reaction to Lois and Lana asking him out, his stoic resolve in dealing with Ra’s al Ghul, his anguish over being unable to save everyone, and his determination to try nonetheless are all laid out in a way that is raw, like an exposed nerve. And yet, despite the myriad awful events that are occurring on the page and those that are only described to us, we are nevertheless emboldened and given hope. The art here is largely responsible for that. The fantastic bright blue costume of Superman cuts through the page every time it appears on panel. It serves as a fantastic contrast, especially when it comes to the scenes in Smallville, where the primary colors complement the idyllic warm tone of the Midwest farmland.

The justified anger of Superman directed at a certain man who makes toys is an absolute delight, as the wrath of the Last Son of Krypton burns even brighter than the wake of his heat vision. It is perhaps the most powerful moment in the comic. The masterful display by Ferreyra of Superman putting Schott and those like him on notice is a highlight among highlights. We can practically feel the searing temperature wafting off the page. The amount of detail put into the slagged surroundings of the office of Schott is able to convey not just the righteous fury of Superman over this man and his lack of accountability, but also just how measured his response really was.

Also, in what was a really neat touch, the very first page of the comic features a mailbox in Smallville reading "Kent," whereas the very last page of the comic closes with the image of a mailbox in Missouri reading "Luthor." This signifies the inevitable encounter between these two iconic figures.

Final Thoughts and Review

I cannot really say enough about this issue. This is incredible to me because the previous issue was stellar in of itself. Jason Aaron leads us toward the future of the series with multiple plot points ranging from a possible love triangle to the eventual first encounter between Superman and Lex Luthor. Furthermore, he prepares us for what appears to be an imminent showdown between Superman and Hawkman. Beyond these plot points, he is also able to make the character feel like the true Superman. Despite the radical differences in his origin and upbringing, the personal tragedies that hit closer to home than before, and the fact that the very world he exists in is inherently wrong and twisted into something it should not be,

Final Review: 10/10

It is rare that a comic book series produces a perfect issue, let alone does so back to back. And yet, here we are. Absolute Superman #15 leans into the core premise of the entire Absolute Universe, which is a world where hope is smothered. It firmly cements Superman as the one person who can challenge that status quo as only he can. Between the moving emotional beats and the evocative art, this issue establishes the first steps of the new status quo of Kal-El as he embraces his role as champion of the oppressed. The never-ending battle officially begins here.